So when two Larimer County commissioners showed up in the little mountain town Monday, there was plenty to talk about.

Lew Gaiter and Steve Johnson viewed the devastation along the river and creeks on the drive up to Glen Haven and then encountered the volunteer fire chief and captain on the road outside the Glen Haven Fire Station.

“We’re not real happy with (Larimer County) road and bridge,” fire captain Tom Housewright said to the commissioners, almost in the way of a greeting.

“When they drive past, they never even roll down their windows,” he said.

On the other hand, Housewright had high praise for Estes Park Light and Power crews, who have been rebuilding crude dirt roads through the community so they can get in and restore electricity.

“They’re our friends,” he said as he waved to the driver of a Light and Power truck driving past.

Housewright and fire chief Jason Gdovicak, happy to have an audience with the commissioners, told them that in the four weeks since the flooding began, most of the recovery work has been done by Light and Power, the volunteer fire department and community members.

“It’s taxing on all of us,” Gdovicak said.

Gaiter and Johnson explained that the county and its contractors can’t be everywhere at once, and that they are building a temporary road along the path of destroyed County Road 43 but are starting from Drake and working up to Glen Haven.

Gdovicak said he understands the county’s challenges. “I know we’re not the only ones.”

County Road 43 from Estes Park down to Glen Haven suffered less severe damage and is open to residents.

The commissioners told Housewright and Gdovicak that they were encouraged by last week’s news that the federal government likely will take over the rebuilding of County Road 43 to make a way for people to get to Rocky Mountain National Park while U.S. 34 is being rebuilt in the upper Big Thompson Canyon.

The fire chief, who is taking an unpaid leave of absence from his regular job to direct recovery efforts, said he needs resources from the county, such as a project manager.

“Communication would be the biggest thing right now,” he said.

Gaiter said helping Glen Haven is a high priority for the county.

“We’ll make sure you don’t get lost,” he told Gdovicak.

The fire chief and captain then took the commissioners on an all-terrain-vehicle tour of Glen Haven.

They drove on dirt roads that had been regraded several feet lower than their original levels because flooding streams had eroded them away.

They pointed out where Fox Creek Road had become Fox Creek when the normally mild tributary ran wild, and, conversely, where the former creek bed now is the road.

They passed destroyed vehicles in the water, undermined homes hanging over streams and the concrete foundations where businesses and the old fire station stood.

As he described the changes in the landscape that the rivers wrought, Gdovicak said, “It’s hard to even remember what some of this was like before.”

At a junction in the road, Gaiter asked him what was up ahead. “Just more devastation,” Gdovicak responded with a wry laugh before turning his vehicle around.

The fire chief said his district covers about 500 homes. Roughly half of those belong to year-round residents, and most of those people haven’t come back to stay after being evacuated.

Power is being restored slowly to the community. “Access is our No. 1 issue,” Gdovicak said, followed by debris removal, propane delivery and septic tank service.

A local four-wheel-drive club spent the weekend hauling fallen trees out of the creeks and cutting them up. Large logs lined County Road 43 in town.

After the impromptu tour, Johnson said he didn’t expect that the normally minor streams of Fox Creek, West Creek and the North Fork of the Big Thompson River would have done so much damage.

“I think it’s pretty impressive the amount of cleanup the neighbors have been able to do,” he added.

Johnson said a big reason for Monday’s visit was to show the residents of Glen Haven that their county commissioners are aware of their plight.

“We wanted to let them know we care, we’re going to be there for the long term, and we’re not going to forget about them,” he said.

“I think it sends an important message that the county considers them important.”

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